In Classification and Determination of Constitution in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the China Association of Chinese Medicine classifies body constitutions of the human body into nine types, i.e., yin-yang harmony constitution, yang deficiency constitution, yin deficiency constitution, qi deficiency constitution, phlegm-dampness constitution, damp-heat constitution, qi stagnation constitution, blood stasis constitution and allergic constitution, most of which are sub-healthy states.
The yin deficiency constitution means that, when internal organs are dysfunctional, the syndromes of yin-fluid deficiency in the body and production of endogenous heat due to yin deficiency will easily occur, which are usually represented by emaciation of the body, tidal reddening of the cheeks, feverishness in palms and soles, tidal fever and night sweating, upset irritability, xerostomia, hair and skin dryness, and dry and red tongue with little or even no coating, and are mainly caused by invasion of pathogenic dryness-heat, overeating of febrile and dry food, excessive griefs and sorrow, intemperance in sexual life and long illness. The tendency of morbidity is: being susceptible to consumptive disease, seminal emission, insomnia, etc., being resistant to winter but nonresistant to summer, and being nonresistant to summer-heat, heat and pathogenic dryness.
Such sub-healthy constitution as yin deficiency constitution belongs to chronic diseases and has a relatively long disease course, and requires a long-term medication and gradual conditioning, in order to achieve the effects of tonifying qi and nourishing qi. The dosage forms commonly used in the traditional Chinese medicine are decoctions and Chinese patent medicine such as pills and the like. Decoctions usually have relatively good efficacy, but the administration thereof is complicated, and the taste thereof is poor, if the decoctions need to be administered for a long time, it is difficult for a patient to keep taking the decoctions. Moreover, the efficacy of the pills is relatively poor.
Food is the best product for human beings to prevent diseases and keep healthy. The theory that “medicine and food share a common origin” is one of the most valuable contributions made by the original Chinese medicine to human beings. It is described in the Rites of Zhou⋅Offices of the Heaven⋅Medicine that “diseases are treated with the five flavors, the five grains and the five medicines”, which demonstrates the physical health-care functions of food. The method of regulating body functions using the characteristics of food so as to obtain health or prevent or treat diseases is called dietary therapy. However, “therapy” is inferior to “nourishing”, and food nourishing is an approach to increase resistance against diseases and enhance immunity by eating tonic food according to food nutritions in combination with the body conditions, so as to strengthen the body and prolong the life. It is described in Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold that “a physician should first know the cause of a disease to know why the disease is developed and treat the disease with food materials. Only when food materials are unable to treat the disease, can drugs be used.” Thus, dietary therapy was not only the basic therapeutic approach of the physicians at that time, but also an important criterion for determining whether a physician was a great physician.
It is mentioned in the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor that “the superior physician prevents illness, the mediocre physician attends to impending illness, and the inferior physician treats actual illness”, wherein the phrase “prevent illness” means taking corresponding measures to prevent the occurrence and development of diseases. The body constitution determines the health of people and determines the susceptibility to diseases. Faced with the situations that there are various diseases in modern society, the age of onset becomes lower and lower and there are more and more sub-healthy people, dietary therapy gets more and more popular with the consumers due to its advantages of being healthy and natural, and with respect to the diseases that are easy to develop, it is of great significance to develop a food product that has the functions of life nourishing and health protection, has a good taste and conditions the yin deficiency constitution, by using modern scientific technologies and methods and the theory that “medicine and food share a common origin”, referring to the precious Chinese traditional life nourishing experience in combination with good accumulation of the traditional Chinese medicine on the aspect of conditioning yin deficiency constitution.